Motorcycle Mayhem This Week: KTM 390 Adventure Spied, BMW G 310 R & GS Launch Date And More

The Indian as well as the global two-wheeler market has witnessed more than a few interesting developments, ranging from motorsports initiatives, business developments to new product launches. We recap the highlights of this week in the two-wheeled world.

KTM Teases Adventure Enthusiasts’ Dreams

First off, KTM’s highly awaited motorcycle, the 390 Adventure has been spotted for the first time post its official announcement. We were able to extract some juicy details about the upcoming bike. And just when we thought the buzz around KTM would dull down, the Austrian bikemaker revealed the pre-production model of the 790 Adventure R in Europe.

Ducati’s All Over The News, Glocally

Ducati is also on a roll with a win at the 2018 Pikes Peak International Hill Climb. In commemoration, the Italian motorcycle manufacturer launched the Multistrada 1260 Pikes Peak edition in India. Here’s how it is different from the Multistrada 1260 S variant. Ducati India also announced its Dream Tour to Jamgarh, where Ducatistis can interact and enjoy performances by various music artists. In the international market, the brand unveiled the Monster 1200 25º Anniversario Edition, and the SuperSport recall was announced for the North American market as well.

Indian Motorsports

In a country that’s primarily dominated by cricket, Indian two-wheeler manufacturers are taking active steps to promote motorsports. For starters, Honda Racing Team announced a talent hunt for under-18 riders. This will give them the opportunity to compete in national and international racing championships. Suzuki also announced the 2018 Gixxer Cup which has two categories - JK Tyre Suzuki Gixxer Cup (for riders aged 17 and above) and Red Bull Road to Rookies Cup (12- to 16-year olds).

BMW Motorrad & Kawasaki’s Good News For Indian Bikers

Another big development in the Indian market was the launch date reveal of BMW Motorrad’s entry-level motorcycles - the G 310 R and the G 310 GS. Kawasaki also dropped a bomb with the launch of CKD Ninja ZX-10R and ZX-10RR at an unbelievably low (ex-showroom Delhi) price of Rs 12.8 lakh and Rs 16.1 lakh respectively. However, there is a catch.

Futuristic Safety Tech For Bikes

Motorcycle riding is an inherently risky affair. To make riding safer, Ride Vision, an Israeli startup came up with a front and rear 180-degree camera-based collision aversion technology. Read all about it here. Our own IIT Roorkee students have also developed an inexpensive yet innovative airbag helmet. Sounds interesting? Here are the details.

International Business Developments

In the international two-wheeler space, Harley-Davidson is planning to move a part of its production setup overseas in light of Trump’s controversial trade decision against European Union. Bajaj Auto is also planning to setup a CKD plant in Indonesia to make KTM’s sub-400cc performance motorcycles more affordable in the country.

[KTM 390 Adventure spy shot source: www.motorradonline.de]